Main Salmon River Trip

There is a green hole in the middle of Idaho. A spot that is refreshingly empty on your highway map. A place where pavement never was…and wild rivers still are…raw country, 20,000 sq miles of it, and right through the middle runs the Salmon River

Details for Main Salmon River Trip

Active Adventure

Cutting the second deepest canyon in North America, the Salmon River is a clear mountain river with pine forests and white sandy beaches. The canyon abounds in deserted homesteads and, of special interest to river travelers, natural hot springs: aah…feels good. One crowd appreciates this road-less country even more than us. Deer, bighorn sheep, moose, birds of prey, elk and the frolicking river otter call this refuge home.

Translucent emerald water, responding to the drop and irregularities of the river bottom, form over forty rapids. That means you have first class whitewater on each day of the trip. Around July the hands-on types can request inflatable kayaks and meet the Salmon River whitewater on their own terms.

Typical Day

Day 1: Meet group at the Stagecoach Inn in Salmon, Idaho. We take a bus and enjoy a scenic 2-hour drive to Corn Creek, our launch site. We stop at the North Fork store en route to the river to pick up any last minute supplies such as fishing licenses, lures, beer and wine. The first day on the river we run Gunbarrel, Ranier and Devil’s Teeth rapids.

Day 2: We may enjoy a short hike up Chamberlain Creek. After the exhilarating rapids of Salmon Falls, we stop and soak our bodies in Barth Hot Springs, a natural hot spring which flows into the Salmon River.

Day 3: This day is our most exciting rapid day. We run Bailey Falls, Split Rock, Big Mallard and Elk Horn to name a few. A stop at Jim Moore’s place is usually included on this day. Jim Moore came to the Salmon River from Kentucky around the turn of the century and lived a colorful life until 1942. The log buildings he constructed were nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.

Day 4: After a visit to Buckskin Bill’s homestead (Buckskin was the last of the Mountain Men) we will run Jackson and Ludwig rapids. Later we float past the confluence with the South Fork of the Salmon River.

Day 5: We’ll run Vinegar & Chittam Creek rapids before taking out at the end of the trip. There is a 4 1/2 hour bus ride back to Boise, Idaho, and lunch will be eaten en route. Vehicles that were shuttled will be waiting at Spring Bar, our lunch spot.

As mentioned earlier, this is a sample itinerary and should not be thought of as the trip you will experience. It is intended to give an idea of what the trip will be like. It could also be exactly what you do. Keep an open mind, be flexible, go with the flow, and enjoy!

Age range, type of group

Singles, Families, Couples

Sleeping and meals

Camping along the river beach. Guides prepare meals starting with lunch the first day and ending with lunch the last day.

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